Pure Natural Spices and Seasonings

Guide to buying pure natural spices

The quality, freshness and aroma of the seasoning make the difference between an ordinary dish and a memorable one. In the spice market it is common to add starch for bulk, use oily essences instead of the real aroma of the seed, and add artificial colors to ground spices. Zaal Market focuses on whole spices, large seeds and genuine hand-picked saffron, so that our pure natural spices keep their real taste.

These products are foods and are not a substitute for medicine or medical advice.

Zaal spices and seasonings

Spice	Form	Origin	Taste and aroma	Best use
Pul biber	Semi-moist flakes	Turkey	Mildly hot, fruity, slightly smoky	Kebab, eggs, pizza, soup
Black pepper	Whole peppercorns in a grinder	Large aromatic peppercorns	Warm, pungent heat	Table, steak, soup, stews
Saffron	Sargol and Super Negin stigmas	Qaenat, Khorasan	Rich aroma, golden color	Festive rice, desserts, drinks
Turmeric	Pure powder	Premium quality	Earthy, warm, golden yellow	Fried onions and stews
Cinnamon	Sticks	Sri Lanka (Ceylon)	Sweet and warm	Gheimeh stew, halim, desserts
Ginger	Pure root powder	Quality dried root	Sharp, fresh heat	Asian dishes, chicken, infusions

The Zaal range

Each spice is packed to keep its volatile oils from escaping:

1. Peppers and grinders: The genuine semi-moist Aleppo pepper flakes from Turkey are the favorite seasoning to sprinkle on finished dishes. For freshly ground pepper at the table there is the whole black peppercorns grinder, and for a full collection of salts and pepper, the salt and pepper grinder gift set.
2. Qaenat saffron: Iran's red gold comes in three packs: the long, festive stigmas of Super Negin saffron 1 mesghal, the smaller Super Negin saffron 2.3g, and the traditional Persian Sargol saffron 1 mesghal with strong natural color.
3. Basic cooking spices: Pure ground turmeric with its natural golden color, fragrant true Ceylon cinnamon sticks and sharp pure ground ginger root powder, all sorted and free of impurities.

How to recognize pure spices

• Turmeric water test: Stir a teaspoon of turmeric into a glass of cold water. With pure turmeric the particles slowly settle and the water stays clear yellow. If it turns cloudy and milky, or you see streaks of starch, it is not pure.
• Soft pul biber: Real pul biber is made of half-dried peppers, so it is soft and fleshy, never a dry, floury powder.
• Freshly ground pepper: Black pepper kept whole in a grinder and ground at the moment of use releases a far stronger aroma than old packaged powder.

Storage

Sunlight, air and the heat of the stove are the main enemies of a spice's aroma. Keep pure natural spices in closed dark or opaque glass jars in a dark, cool cupboard. Never hold a spice jar over a steaming pot: steam makes the powder clump and lose quality quickly.

Buyers abroad can send an inquiry through our international order page.